Production of sound-records.



Patented Dee. M), MN.

4 .u. W. MINES. PRODUCTION 0F SOUWB'RECUBDS.

(Application filed Nov. 19, 1897.)

(No Model.)

$1" mmto'a @8 1 human PATENT rrIcE.

JosnPn W. JONES, or NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AND

JOSEPH A. YINCENT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PRODUCTION OF SOUND-RECORDS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 688,739, dated December10, 1901. Application filed November 19,1897- Serial No. 659,170. (Nomodel.)

T 0. whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JOSEPH W. J ONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Improved Production ofSound-Records; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and'exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and 'use the same.

My invention relates to the commercial production of sound-records, andhas for its object the production of a number of copies of an originalrecord characterized-by lateral undulations of substantially uniformdepth. I-Ieretofore records of this character, generally known asgramophone-reeords, have been produced by first-tracing the lateralundulations or zigzags in a fatty (inky) film that protectsan-etching-surface, then etching this tracing into the material to forma groove,

? thenrunning a blunt stylus through this groove to smooth the raggedetched surface, and finally electroplating this touched-u p surface andpressing the matrix so formed into a suitable material to form thecommercial record. The etching process, for reasons unnecessary tostate, causes considerable departure or deviations, so that the etchedgroove is far from being a correct representation of the path of therecording-stylus.

The deformations from this cause are still f u rther exaggerated by theuse of the smoothingstylus. I avoid these objections by producing in thefirst instance a fully-finished original record whose grooves are of thefinal depth required, slight but appreciable, thus doing away with thenecessity for etching and the subsequent smoothing made necessarythereby. The original records made by this processare electroplated andthe electroplat'e matrix used as a diein the ordinary manner.

In carrying out my invention I employ a disk or tablet, of suitablerecording material, ((as wax orawax-likecom position, preferablyrendered sufficiently hard, as by an adn1ixture of rosin, to withstandthe treatment employed in giving it an electrical conductingsurface.)Upon the surface of this tablet I then form by the use of asound-recording the vibrations of the diaphragm and stylus,

whereas in producing my original records the resistance encounteredby-my recording-stylus is exactly equal to the length of the v1hrations.On account of this difference in principle I am enabled to obtain moreaccurate, and

therefore better, records of the original sounds.

The original record so formed is an exact copy of the record to be usedfor reproducin is a complete and finished record, its grooves being of aslight yet appreciable depth, and no deepening or retouching by anetching fluid or in any other manner is required. This original recordis then prepared for receiving the electroplate deposit by coating itssurface with an electric conducting medium-- such, for instance, ascarbon, (graphite,) as commonly employed in the process ofelectroplating, or, as a substitute, nitrate of silver. This coatedplate is then placed in an e1ectroplating-bath, and a layer of metal(nickel, steel, 850.) is deposited upon it. The thin shell or matrixthus formed is then separated from the original record, which may beused repeatedly in the same manner to form other matrices. Owing to thefiat shape of the original and of the matrix and to the fact that thesound-groove of the former and the corresponding ridge of the latter donot lock the two are separated readily without the employment of heat orof shrinkage,it being obvious that the repeated heating and resultantcooling are very injurious to the accuracy of the record. The matrixitself may be backed up with a supporting-plate, such as brass or bronzecast upon (or sweated to) the reverse of the matrix. This completematrix constitutes a stamp or die, the record appearing on its face inthe form of a raised ridge having lateral sinnosities or irregularitiesthat correspond to the sound-waves being the exact counterpart of theoriginal soundgroove. This die is then pressed or stamped into a disk-ortablet of suitable composition, such as electrose or other fibrousmaterial that can be readily handled in a'soft state In the drawingsannexed hereto to illustrate this invention, Figure 1 shows a recorderin the act of producing the original record. Fig. 2 shows the originalrecord partially covered with graphite. Fig. 3 shows diagrammaticallythe electroplating apparatus for forming the metallic matrix on theoriginal record, and Fig. 4 shows a press for forming stamped recordsfrom the matrix;

A is a tablet of wax-like composition; B, a recording device whosestylus b cuts or engraves into the surface of tablet A a line or grooveor channel (1. of uniform depth and undulating laterally. The shadedportion A, Fig. 2, represents the graphite coating appliedvover surfaceof A. Tablet A having its electroconductive. coating A is immersed in aplating-bath C, Fig. 3, by which a (copper) matrix or reverse U isformed. Matrix (J is laid on a tablet D of suitable material in "a pressE and the finished product produced.

are the very essence of this kind of record it forms a covering thatresembleson a minute scale a light fall of snow over a landscape. Thesharp contours of the vertical irregularities are rounded, (the moredelicate and minute irregularities being filled in and completelyobliterated,) with a resulting mutilation of the record. Again, when theelectroplate die is pressed into the surface to be stamped anyinequality in the material being stamped would cause unequal impressionsto be made, some deeper than others, which'is fatal to the accuracy of arecord, whose very existence lies in the comparative depths and heights(vertical) of its irregularities. I u-rthermore, the presence (be tweenthe die and the material being stamped) of minute particles of dust orother foreign n1atter,or even of particles of air, (air-bubbles,) wouldto that extent still further distort and disfigure the impressionsstamped by an already inaccurate die, whereas in the laterally-undulatedrecords any vertical deformr' on (whether due to the causes just pointedout or to any other cause) does not in the slightest degree afiect theaccuracy of the record, the essence of which lies in its lateralundulations, for the deposit of a film of conducting material does notmodify the lateral outline, but only the vertical irregularities, andthe deformations caused'by the presence of foreign particles in thestamping or pressing process are vertical, and consequently do notaffect a record that depends upon its lateral and not its verticaloutline.

For the foregoing reasons I do not claim my new process in connectionwith soundrecords characterized by vertical irregularities, but limit itto records characterized by lateral undulations of practically uniformdepth.

.1 claiming sound-records, which consists in cutting .or engraving upona tablet-of suitable material, by means of the lateral vibrations of asuitable stylus, a record-groove of appreciable and practically uniformdepth and having lateral undulations corresponding to the sound-waves,next coating the same with a conducting material, then forming a matrixthereon by electrolysis, and finally separating this matrix and pressingthe same into a tablet of suitable material, substantially as described.

2. The process of producing commercial sound-records of the typeindicated, which consists of first preparing a fiat tablet or disk ofsoft wax like material, then engraving thereon by means of the lateralvibrations of a suitable stylus a record-groove of appreciable anduniform depth and having lateral undulations corresponding tosound-waves, next rendering the surface thereof electrically conductive,then forming a matrix thereon by electrolysis, next separating thematrix from the original record-disk without the use of heat, andfinally impressing said matrix into a disk of suit-able material to formthe ultimate record, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I all'i-x my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH \v. mm.

\Vitnessesi HARRY A Dl-snouu, WALTER 0. Pusnv.

